The automotive and transportation industries use elastomeric (rubber-like) materials for a number of parts that require elastic properties such as boots, gaskets, seals, hoses, dampers, etc. A number of synthetic polymeric materials have been provided for these applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,494 describes vulcanization of ethylene/acrylic ester copolymers in the presence of a peroxide curing system and an antioxidant system that is accelerated by the presence of a butadiene/acrylonitrile polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,180 describes a polymer composition that comprises a crosslinkable or crosslinked blend of an elastomeric ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymer and a thermoplastic polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,669 discloses blends of ethylene/alkyl acrylate dipolymers, neutralized ethylene acid copolymers (ionomers) and organic peroxides, useful for continuous pressureless curing processes.
Trends in the automotive industry require elastomeric materials used in making automotive parts to have wider ranges (both high and low) of service temperature capabilities and good fluid resistance to meet new performance demands. It is also desirable that these elastomers have improved dynamic fatigue resistance, compression set and tensile properties such as tensile elongation-at-break. Such a combination of properties and moderate cost are highly desired.